Star Trek Into Darkness

Cumberbatch. That's the upgrade.

The first one was good. This one's better, and it's almost entirely because of the villain. He's the kind of actor who walks into a scene and tilts the whole room toward him. You can't look away. I didn't want to.

He's the kind of actor who walks into a scene and tilts the whole room toward him.

The crew is still the crew, and that's a compliment. They've got the chemistry locked in by now, everyone knows their lane, and the whole thing just hums. No notes there. It works.

But Benedict is the difference-maker. He's why this sequel actually feels like a step up instead of a victory lap. They upped their game to match him, or maybe because of him, and the whole movie is better for it.

Caught it in the theater and I'm glad I did. It's the kind of movie that earns the big screen. Stuck with me on the drive home, too.